Free Missing in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law Mystery/Romance Series) by Jana DeLeon Page A

Either that or Ted hired the oddest set of cooks she’d ever seen. Before Jadyn could reply, the masked bandit gave Jadyn a thumbs-up and a second later, a basket of butter disappeared from the window.
    Definitely Helena.
    Dee turned around and placed two cups of coffee in front of them. “I ain’t seen you before. You passing through?” she asked as she poured.
    Mildred glanced at Jadyn, then looked back at the Dee. “Not exactly. We live in Mudbug but we were hoping you could help us with something.”
    Dee’s expression shifted from bored to guarded. “You cops?”
    Mildred laughed. “Not hardly.”
    Dee didn’t look completely convinced. “We had enough cops around here today to last a lifetime. Rude, too.”
    Jadyn laughed. “You and I probably talked to the same person.”
    Dee narrowed her eyes at Jadyn. “You involved with that missing woman?”
    “Not involved,” Jadyn said. “Related. She’s my cousin. Mildred here is our aunt.”
    “Oh.” Dee’s expression softened a bit. “I’m sorry to hear that. You must be really worried.”
    Mildred sniffed and rubbed her nose with a napkin. “Haven’t thought of anything else since I found out this morning. I just can’t help thinking what those people may be doing to her and I…”
    Mildred’s voice broke and Jadyn put her arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “She’s going to be fine, Auntie. We have to stay positive.”
    Dee’s face crumpled and Jadyn knew they had roped her in.
    Mildred sniffed again and nodded. “I know, but it’s so hard when you have to just sit there when you feel like you ought to be doing something.”
    “I know,” Jadyn said and looked back at Dee. “That’s why we’re here. The cops won’t tell us much, so we thought we’d try to get some answers ourselves. We couldn’t take sitting in that living room staring at each other any longer.”
    “Of course not,” Dee said.
    “A friend told us this diner was up the road from where they think my cousin was kidnapped, so we figured we’d ask if anyone had seen anything. I know it probably seems foolish, but we had to do something.”
    Dee put her hand on Mildred’s. “It’s not stupid at all. If it was my family, I’d be raising heaven and hell to get them back.”
    “Were you working last night?” Jadyn asked.
    Dee nodded. “Five ’til one is my usual shift. I saw your cousin last night. Seen her a couple times before.”
    Jadyn straightened on her stool and Mildred stared at Dee, her eyes wide. Despite her hopes, Jadyn hadn’t expected that Zach and Raissa had actually been in the diner.
    “You’re sure it was her?” Mildred asked.
    “Yeah,” Dee said. “The cops showed me a picture of them. She’s a looker and had polish you don’t usually see in here. It was her. They said they found the man but he was hurt.”
    Mildred nodded. “He’s in a coma and it’s touch and go, so he’s not able to give us any information.”
    “That sucks.”
    “Was anyone else with them,” Mildred asked, “or did anyone else talk to them?”
    Dee shook her head. “They was alone. Sat right here at the counter and had a cup of coffee and slice of pie. Said they were on their way home after working out of town for a bit and needed a little pick-me-up to make the last hour’s drive.”
    “Did they look worried or anything?” Mildred asked.
    “Can’t say as they did. We chatted a bit about the weather and how striped bass was biting. The guy said he planned on spending the next couple days fishing. She joked that he was gonna spend at least one painting the living room. Seemed normal…you know, a nice couple. What kind of work do they do?”
    Because she couldn’t see any reason to lie, Jadyn decided the truth was probably easiest. “They’re both FBI agents,” Jadyn said.
    Dee’s eyes widened. “No shit? Wow, I would never have figured them for feds. They wasn’t stiff or rude or anything like the others.”
    “They are both very nice and not at